A Writer's Outlook on the Craft of Writing, Getting Published, and the Big One... Life.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Harlequin and DellArte Press... Hummm...

As a member of RWA (Romance Writers of America), I’ve been following Harlequin’s new vanity press now called DellArte Press. However, since I’m not a member of MWA (Mystery Writers of America), I wasn’t sure how they viewed the news. Well, agent Kristin Nelson blogged about that very thing yesterday. To read the full post, click here.

Basically, the main concern isn’t that Harlequin has opened a vanity press, but how this pay-to-publish program is integrated into their traditional publishing business. Harlequin’s publisher and CEO, Donna Hayes stated that “‘Harlequin intends as standard practice to steer the authors that it rejects from its traditional publishing imprints to DellArte and its other affiliated, for-pay services.’ In addition, Harlequin mentions on the DellArte site that editors from its traditional publishing imprints will be monitoring DellArte titles for possible acquisition. It is this sort of integration that violates MWA rules.”

Kristin Nelson said: “I don’t necessarily see Harlequin abandoning this appalling business path with Horizons/DellArte. I think the lure of easy money is too strong.”

10 comments:

I do not know all the details of any of this stuff...but it seems as if Harlequin is saying that if someone's work is not good enough for them to publish and pay the writer an advance....they will tell the writer they can pay Harlequin to publish it. Seems shady to me.

It's a bit underhanded, but I think we will see more publishers take this route in the future. They hate the subsidy publishing companies, but they know there's some big profit to be made. And in a tough year for everyone, publishers are willing to try anything to make money.

Rachelle Gardner posted about this approx. a month ago when Thomas Nelson Publishers did the same thing. She believes that this is the future of the industry, and I tend to agree. That doesn't mean I have to like it, though. I think it's a win win situation for big publishers because they can sign successful authors without risking the bucks.

I'm also a member of RWA and have been party to some of this madness but the truth is I don't see a problem in the long run. Though, I do believe writers should organize better to see to the matters that affect us all.You have a lovely blog and I will visit often.

It's a tricky proposition to be sure. So many questions. How will this affect those authors published by Harlequin along the more "legitimate" route if now you can pay the same publisher to publish your book? And what does it do to the Harlequin brand as well? It's difficult to know how this will ultimate pan out, but it feels a bit off-color to me. I understand the desire for writers to want to see their work in print, and we know that a rejection from an agent/publisher doesn't mean you have a bad book unworthy of publication. But what sort of measures will Harlequin put in place to ensure the quality of the work being published? Will it be evident to the reader that the book they're about to buy was not a traditional Harlequin book? I don't know--perhaps I don't know enough yet. But it's certainly worth considering.

It's heinous, because it seems totally self-serving and hurtful to say on one hand, your book isn't good enough, BUT go to our associated pay-to-play press and we'll gladly give you a change to drop thousands to publish your lousy book. It's preying on people's dreams, is what it is.

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About Me

Lynnette Labelle is a freelance editor with over fifteen years of experience. She’s the owner of Labelle’s Writing on the Wall, an editing and coaching service for writers. Her clients range from new writers to New York Times and USA Today best-selling authors like Roni Loren, Rebecca Hamilton, and Cristin Harber. Lynnette works with writers seeking traditional publishing and indie authors. She specializes in developmental and line editing combos as well as manuscript evaluations. She helps writers create hooky query letters and strong synopses, and teaches several writing classes.
If you're looking for a freelance editor, check out her website: www.labelleseditorialservices.com